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INDIANAPOLIS — Julius Randle vowed “to be better” following the Knicks’ third straight loss Saturday against the Nuggets, so taking nearly three quarters to record his first field goal three nights later against the Spurs probably wasn’t the best way to go about achieving that goal.
The 2021 first-time All-Star got going with back-to-back 3-point baskets midway through the third, however, and he finished with his customary smorgasbord on the stat sheet with 15 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in a skid-busting win in San Antonio.
Tom Thibodeau called Randle’s overall play “terrific,” especially noting that the ball-handling forward had just one turnover for a second straight game after he’d matched his season-high with seven in another disappointing loss at the Garden to the Bulls.
“He’s the type of player, he’s going to command a lot of attention. So you don’t want to fight pressure with pressure. Don’t try to split the double team. Don’t hang out too long. Just read the defense,” Thibodeau said after Tuesday’s game. “I thought he was fantastic. He played a great game and scored 15 points. He played a phenomenal game, to be honest with you.”
Entering Wednesday’s second of back-to-back road games against the Pacers, Randle had totaled 93 points on 39 of 73 shooting (53.4 percent) in the Knicks’ previous four games, a scoring average of 23.3 per appearance.
Signed to a $106 million contract extension in the offseason, Randle’s overall numbers are down across the board, a key factor during the Knicks’ middling 12-12 start. His scoring average has dipped from a career-best 24.1 points per game to 19.9 through Tuesday’s action, with his rebounds (10.2 to 9.9) and assists (6.0 to 5.4) also down. His shooting numbers also have declined — from 41.1 percent to 33.3 percent from long distance and from 45.6 percent to 43.4 percent overall.
“I have to be better,’’ Randle said after the loss to the Nuggets. “Everybody has to be better. And I’ll take responsibility from the team. I’ll take responsibility for myself. That doesn’t bother me. At the end of the day, I just want to win.
‘We’ve got to look ourselves in the mirror and decide what we want the season to be. I know what I want it to be. I know what the guys want it to be. But we have to commit to it.”
RJ Barrett (32 points, including seven 3-pointers) and demoted center Mitchell Robinson (11 points and 14 rebounds off the bench) led the way against the Spurs. But Thibodeau believes Randle’s improved reads while facing double teams was an important factor in the victory, despite the slow start offensively.
“He’s getting better and better at that, to be honest,” Thibodeau said. “He could beat you a lot of different ways. He’s seeing that type of defense more and more. Now he’s understanding it better.
“He’s a student of the game. He’ll continue to work. He’s great at running the floor. He can put it on the floor. He can shoot the 3. He got to some isolation and when they sent the other guy he just sprayed. And did a great job of getting to the right spots. It was all tied together.”
Randle also has stressed that the Knicks need to rediscover their defensive identity, saying they “sometimes are too lax” at that end of the floor. Thibodeau now has made two adjustments to the starting lineup — Alec Burks for Kemba Walker at point guard and Nerlens Noel for Robinson at center — to address those concerns.
At the other end, Thibodeau also was encouraged that the Knicks committed just 21 total turnovers over their past two games — including 10 against the Spurs — after they’d had 18 in last week’s loss to the Bulls.
“[It’s] the concentration, the spacing, the discipline. And then the unselfishness,” Thibodeau said. “So you look at turnovers and fouls first. And you want to be disciplined in those areas. … You have to do it together.”
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